Summer Romance
by tenshi2708
Summary: Chelsea just wants to spend more time with Vaughn. Vaughn somewhat reluctantly agrees and the two of them find their emotions growing stronger for one another.
1. Chapter 1

Chelsea's heart began to race as Vaughn pushed her up against the wall. She closed her eyes as the herd of cattle thundered past. After the dust had settled she opened her eyes to see a very unimpressed looking cowboy. His purple eyes shot daggers, "And what do you think you're doing?" he harshly asked.

She shrugged. "I just thought I would come see where you worked."

Vaughn sighed. He was still standing with his feet and arms on either side of her. She looked cute, even when she was guilty. She was rubbing the toes of her boots together, which he had noticed she would do when she was nervous. She glanced up at him with her puppy dog eyes and a pouting lip. He felt his face flush and felt the impulse to kiss her. He quickly looked away and began to walk towards the gate.

She stayed on his heels and smiled as he mumbled, "Well I guess since you came all this way you can stay."

He showed her the house and took her things to his room. "You're staying in here. I'll take the couch for the next few days."

She smiled. "Thanks! I promise I'll help out while I'm here."

He nodded and left the room. As soon as he closed the door she started to investigate. It was very simple and clean room. She was relieved to have not seen any pictures of a girlfriend, but she realized that there wasn't any of family either. She frowned and ran her hand over his dresser. One of the drawers was open a little and she hesitated a moment, but her curiosity got the better of her and she slid it open. She blushed when she saw that it was his underwear drawer and almost slammed it shut, when something in the corner caught her eye. There was a red bandana, just like the one she wore, tucked into the back. She reached out for it as he knocked on the door.

"Hey supper is ready." He waited a moment and lifted his hand to knock again when the door flew open. She smiled up at him and they walked to the kitchen together. She gasped when she saw the food on the table.

"Wow you made all of this?"

"Well yeah, working on a ranch takes a lot of energy."

"But it looks so fancy!"

He blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Well I might have put a little more work into it since I have company."

"Aww how sweet of you!" She smiled and sat down. "Well let's dig in!"

A slight smile crossed his lips as he sat down across from her.

He was a little surprised to see how well she worked with animals. He knew that she a few on her farm, but she had already brushed the entire herd that morning. He walked over to her and asked, "Where did you learn how to take care of animals so well?"

She continued to brush as she replied, "Well I have Betsy and I guess she likes the same things these cows do." She giggled, "I haven't gotten any complaints yet."

He nodded. "Maybe you have a gift." He patted the cow and walked off.

She smiled as she watched him walk away. It was the first time he had complemented her. He always acted standoffish, but she knew that he was sweet deep down. He never refused to help her if she asked for something and he seemed to be warming up to her more and more. She had been bringing him milk from her farm on the days that he was in town and she noticed that he had started waiting for her if she was ever running behind. Sure there were other guys around, but there was something about him that enchanted her. Her favorite thing was when he smiled. He always tried to be serious, but sometimes he would forget. Her next goal was to get him to laugh.

It was an unbelievably hot day. With the extra help on the ranch he was relieved that all of the chores got done early. He walked into the house and heard the water running in the bathroom. He started to walk towards the door when it swung open. She was standing there in a red and white checkered bikini. His face turned the same color as the red bandana she was wiping her forehead with.

She smiled and said, "Oh I was just coming to get you. Since its so hot today and we're done with everything I figured we should go down to the beach! You do have a swimsuit, right?"

He nodded and mumbled, "Yeah I'll go get it." He tried to get his heart to stop racing, but he couldn't get the image of her out of his head.

He changed and walked out onto the porch.

She looked up at him and it was her turn to blush. She had never seen him without his hat, let alone without a shirt. He was rather muscular from working on the ranch and she thought of what it would be like to be swept up in his arms.

His voice brought her out of the fantasy, "Are you ready?"

She nodded and walked down to the beach by his side.

At first he was reluctant to get into the water. He tried to just stay on the beach, but she eventually got tired of asking him to get in and resorted to force. She seized his wrists and grunted as she tried to pull him into the surf. He sighed and got to his feet. She grabbed a hold of his arm and continued to pull as he unwillingly walked into the water. She let go and started to splash him. Irritated he just stood there and took it. She stopped and frowned, he resembled an unhappy wet cat. He glared at her from under his dripping wet silver bangs. She hung her head then screamed as a huge splash hit her. She looked up to see him with an evil smirk, poised and ready to splash her again. They began to battle and then it happened; he started to laugh. She blushed and swore that it was the cutest thing she had ever heard. She started to run away from him, but he pursued her. When she glanced back she lost her footing and fell backwards onto the beach. Surprised, he tripped and fell over of her. He caught himself before their heads collided, but just barely. With their faces so close they blushed and he felt the urge to kiss her again. He started to lean towards her lips when he saw something red out of the corner of his eye. She must have caught her arm on a rock when she fell. There was a small stream of blood dripping from her arm and he sat straight up.

"You're bleeding!"

She looked down at her arm and laughed. "It's just a scratch, I'll survive."

He shook his head. "Well we should head back and get it wrapped it up anyways." He got to his feet and held out his hand for her. She took it and was pleasantly surprised when he didn't let go.

He tried not to think about how nicely her hand fit into his while they walked. He tried to convince himself that the only reason he was holding on was so she wouldn't fall again.

After bandaging Chelsea's wound they changed into dry clothes and sat together on the porch. Vaughn noticed that she was sitting closer to him than she usually did and awkwardly fumbled for her hand. Realizing what he was trying to do she interlocked her fingers in his and squeezed. They sat there in silence for a while watching the cattle graze. Chelsea took a deep breath and scooted closer to Vaughn. When she was close enough she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. She felt him stiffen at first, but then he seemed to relax. Her skin prickled as he started to make small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Vaughn?"

Her voice seemed sweeter than usual to him. "Yes?"

"Thanks for today."

He chuckled. "But I haven't done anything."

She nodded and sat up. Her face was just inches away from him again. "I had a lot of fun with you."

"Yeah, I um had fun too." He noticed how soft her lips looked.

"I hope I'm not causing you too much grief by staying here."

He shook his head. "No. It's been . . . nice. Nobody has ever come to see me on my ranch before." She smiled and he started to lean towards her.

Chelsea blushed as Vaughn's lips came closer to hers. She was nervous, it was her first kiss after all, but she was glad that it would be with him. She closed her eyes and she heard the phone ring.

Vaughn froze. The phone was ringing inside and he couldn't ignore it in case it was a customer. Caught in the momentum of the moment he did manage to quickly kiss Chelsea on the forehead before running in to answer it.

Chelsea's heart raced. It wasn't what she was expecting, but he did kiss her. Surely that meant that he really did have feelings for her.

Vaughn did his best to focus on the phone call, but he kept replaying the moment he had just had with her in his mind over and over. He had never felt so strongly for anyone before in his life. He had kissed her, maybe not like he wanted, but he did and she didn't pull away.


	2. Chapter 2

A nervous silence lasted the rest of the afternoon. They were both unsure what to do next and if they should reach out to one another again. As they took the cows in for the night they finally had another chance thrown at them. Chelsea had the right barn door, Vaughn the left. When they pushed them together they had an excuse to stand face to face. Chelsea rubbed the toes of her boots together and Vaughan struggled to find words. He looked at her and knew that he had to do something. He reached out and pulled her to his chest, his hands resting on her head and the small of her back. She was pleasantly surprised by his boldness today and relished in the warmth of his body. She gently wrapped her arms around him. They could have stood there like that forever, but with a thunderous crack a rainstorm suddenly rushed in. They ran back to the house together, but they didn't quite beat the rain. They both panted in the doorway dripping wet, but happy.

Vaughn handed Chelsea a cup of hot chocolate and sat down in front of the fireplace with her. He had given her one of his black t-shirts to wear since her other clothes were dirty, and he blushed at the sight of her in it. She nestled up next to him and he put his arm around her. His heart hadn't stopped pounding.

"Vaughn?"

The sound of his name on her tongue made his stomach flutter. "Yeah?"

She set her cup next to her and sat up. She couldn't make eye contact with him. "Well it's just that. . . I um. . ." As she struggled to speak he smiled and leaned towards her. Their lips met and she squeaked in delight. He ran his hand up her neck and into her hair, his touch sending shivers down her spine. He was the first to pull away.

Chelsea opened her eyes to see a beet faced Vaughn.

"I'm sorry," he said wide eyed. "I just couldn't . . ."  
He was interrupted as she returned a quick kiss. He noticed that she was blushing too when she pulled away. She pressed herself against his chest and he pulled her up onto his lap. She happily sat there listening to his heart beat. He laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. He wondered how long it would have taken him to muster up to courage to kiss her if she hadn't followed him home.

Vaughn carried a sleeping Chelsea to his room. She moaned a little as he tucked her into the covers and opened her eyes a crack. "Vaughn?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She said with a smile as she drifted back to sleep.

He blushed and brushed a strand of hair off of her face. He leaned in and whispered, "I love you too." before kissing her head. He stood up and admired his sleeping beauty for a moment before turning and going back to the couch, seriously doubting that he would be able to sleep that night.

Vaughn was finishing making breakfast when a bed-headed Chelsea wandered into the kitchen. She walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbing her head in his back. He smiled. "Well good morning."

She released her hold on him enough so he could turn around, but she buried her face back into his chest. That morning she remembered waking up as he put her to bed. She also swore that she heard him say something as he kissed her good night, but she wasn't sure if it was just a dream. She just wasn't sure how to ask him. Sensing something was wrong; Vaughn gently grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back so he could see her face.  
"What's the matter?"

She rubbed her toes together. "I remember you taking me to bed last night."

He blushed. "um . . . and?"

"Well I think I remember something else, something that you maybe said?" She said the last part as a question and shyly looked up at him.

He glanced away and stiffly said, "I love you."

She smiled up at him. He was adorable when he was flustered. "Yeah that was it."

He looked back down at her out of the corner of his eye. She smiled before returning to squeezing the life out of him. He returned the hug and she said, "I love you too Vaughn." She stood up on her toes and quickly kissed the corner of his mouth before grabbing her plate off of the counter. He stood there stunned for a moment before getting his plate and joining her at the table.

They left the ranch to catch an early boat back to the island. Vaughn wanted to see that Chelsea made it home safely before he went to Mirabelle's. He was a little unsure if he should reach out to her in town, but she seized his hand as soon as they got off the boat and refused to let go. He was a little relieved that no one was out that early, if they were up they were busy in their stores. He wasn't sure how people would react to him showing up with Chelsea and seeing that something between them had changed after her stay. When they got to her farm she ran right in and took care of all of her animals. They were all happy to see her and Vaughn took her bag inside. There was a note on the counter confirming that a neighbor had been over to feed the animals and Vaughn wondered how many people knew about Chelsea's plot to follow him home. He set her bag down on the table and wandered around her house until she finished her chores.

Chelsea found Vaughn looking at her animal records book when she came in and smiled. When he saw her he closed the book and returned it to its spot on the bookcase. She eagerly handed him a bottle of fresh milk and he chuckled.

"Thank you babe." He surprised himself by calling her that, but she didn't seem to mind. "Well I guess I should head back into town." He paused as she nodded. He reached out and hugged her with his free hand. He leaned down and quickly kissed her, but after seeing the sadness in her eyes, he set the milk down and scooped her up in his arms kissing her with more passion.

Chelsea was surprised, but not unhappy with the kiss. She let out a few small moans which only seemed to make him kiss her more intensely. When they stopped she smiled at Vaughn's reddened face. She had her suspicions that it wasn't just embarrassment she saw in his face anymore. He tipped his hat to her, grabbed the milk, and left without another word. She didn't mind though, he was still Vaughn after all. She turned and started to empty her bag of its contents, so she would have room when she foraged, when something caught her eye. There was a red bandana neatly wrapped around a box. Curious she untied it and looked inside. There was a beautiful moonstone necklace on a silver chain inside. Underneath it was a note.

"Not long after we met I found it increasingly hard not to think about you. I was at the market one day and I found this necklace. At the time I felt rather foolish buying it for you, especially since I didn't quite know what to think of your interest in my friendship. Now it seems that I made the right choice after all since our relationship has reached another level. Please be patient with me, I really don't know what I'm doing. You're the only girl that gives me so much courage.  
Faithfully yours,  
Vaughn

Chelsea smiled and picked up the necklace. She liked the way it shone in the light and the way it looked on her. She put it on and safely tucked it into her shirt so it wouldn't get damaged as she worked that day. She slipped the note into her diary and headed out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

No one said anything to Vaughn regarding Chelsea's visit to his ranch, but he felt their eyes burning into his head with curiosity. He didn't see her around town almost all day. She finally caught up to him as he was headed to the Diner that night.

"Oh Vaughn!"

He noticed the silver chain around her neck as she ran towards him.

She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pecked him on the cheek and exclaimed, "I love it!" When she let go she pulled the necklace out of her shirt and displayed it proudly.

He smiled, it looked good on her. His eyes lingered on her chest longer than he usually allowed them to and he felt a warmth spreading through his body. He jerked his eyes away and mumbled, "You hungry?"

She nodded and grabbed his hand. They walked together into the diner and Vaughn kept his head down. Denny was the only other customer there and Vaughn could feel his eyes on them as they sat dow table. He had one arm around Chelsea and he tried to focus on her as she happily chatted about her day as she browsed the menu but Vaughn was only half listening. Denny walked over and sat down across the table from the couple. He had a devilish grin on his face and Vaughn glared up at him from under his hat.

"Hey what are you guys up to?"

Vaughn sighed. "Ordering something to eat."

"Uh-huh yeah." He winked and made a kissy face at Chelsea. "I could give you a few pointers if you need em." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and Vaughn stood up and banged his hands on the table.

Vaughn gritted his teeth and hissed, "Leave her alone Denny."

Denny shrugged. "I was only joking geeze. When did you decide that you had feelings for, what did you call her? An annoying little wanna be farmer?"

Vaughn's face flushed in anger. He shoved his chair away and stormed out of the door.

Denny shook his head. "Can you believe him? " He looked over at Chelsea who had tears forming in her eyes.

She shook her head. "It's you I can't believe. I thought we were friends. I thought we were all friends." She quickly got up and left to look for Vaughn.

Denny stood there with his mouth open. He closed it and frowned. He hated to admit it, but his jealousy had taken things a little far. He thought that Chelsea was starting to like him, but it seemed that she fell for another.

Chelsea searched everywhere for Vaughn but she couldn't find him. Discouraged she went back to her farm assuming that he went back to his ranch for the night. When she opened the door she was surprised to see him lying on her bed with his arms over his eyes. His boots and hat were on the floor and he seemed to be right at home. He peeked out at her and seeing the tears streaming down her face he got up and ran to her. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He held her in his lap as she continued to cry. She eventually calmed down and he set her on the bed as he went to retrieve a box of tissues. She gratefully took them and blew her nose. Vaughn rubbed her back and asked,

"You want me to make us something?"

Chelsea nodded and Vaughn headed to the fridge. She kicked her boots off and took off her bandana before flopping back onto the bed. She could hear Vaughn banging around in the kitchen and she smiled a little. It was nice having someone who could take care of her.

Chelsea and Vaughn were lying out in the pasture under the stars. It was getting late and Chelsea nervously asked, "Do you want to stay the night?"

Vaughn rolled towards her. "Ah sure, I do have to be at Mirabelle's again tomorrow."

Chelsea smiled and blushed as she heard herself saying, "Well maybe we could make a habit of it."

Vaughn chuckled and kissed her head. "You're such a tease."

Chelsea smiled and tried to act like she wasn't being serious. She got up and held out a hand for Vaughn. He took it and followed her into the house. Once they were inside he glanced around and realized that he would have to sleep on the floor. He didn't really mind though, the thought of sleeping so close to her made his heart pound. "I have to run to Mirabelle's to get my stuff ok?"

She nodded and after he left she ran to her dresser and rummaged for a cute pair of pjs.

When Vaughn got back Chelsea was already in bed. He went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of shorts. He came out and unrolled the sleeping bag Chelsea had laid out for him next to her bed. She playfully hit him in the back of the head with a pillow and he glared at her. He held out his hand but she smacked it too. Vaughn sighed and dove at Chelsea. She screamed as he landed on top of her and tried to take the pillow. They wrestled for a few minutes but he eventually commandeered the pillow. He pulled her in for one last kiss before burrowing into the sleeping bag.

Chelsea rolled to the side of the bed, reached down, and brushed Vaughn's bangs away from his eyes. He smiled up at her and Chelsea shyly asked, "Will you sleep by me tonight?"

Vaughn felt a wave of heat rush through his body. "Ah you mean in your bed?"

She blushed, "Yeah, you ah put my mind at ease and it's been kind of a crazy day sooooo. . ."

Vaughn sat up and kissed her, "Whatever you need babe," he gently whispered. Chills ran down her spine as he got up and slid into bed next to her. She clicked off the light and he pulled her close. She gently ran her hand over his chest and he shivered.

She smiled in the dark as she said, "I hope you don't mind my bed, I guess it's kind of small."

He laughed. "Absolutely not, it just gives me an excuse to be close to you."

Chelsea rested her head on his chest and soon fell asleep listening to the sound of his heart.

Chelsea woke up still wrapped in Vaughn's arms. She tried to wriggle herself free, but with a mischievous chuckle he just pulled her closer. His lips brushed her ear, "Good morning babe."

She leaned up and kissed his lips. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I ever have."

"Good. Now let me up, it's my turn to cook breakfast for you."  
He groaned but released her and got up. "Alright. Do you mind if I take a shower?"

Chelsea shook her head and rushed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Vaughn smiled and grabbed his bag off the floor.

Vaughn walked out in his jeans and black shirt. Chelsea had laid out a breakfast feast to rival his own. He noticed that she had changed into her normal work clothes but hadn't put on her bandana yet. He liked it when her hair was free. He sat down across  
from her and said, "Wow this looks great."

She beamed back at him and they started to eat. Their breakfast was interrupted with a knock on the door. Chelsea wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion; no one was ever over this early.

The visitor knocked again before calling out, "Chelsea are you up? It's Denny. I wanna talk to you about last night."

Vaughn pushed his chair back and got up. Chelsea started to say something but he held up a hand to silence her. He went to the door and opened it. "You got a lot of nerve coming here."

Denny was visibly shocked. "Vaughn!? What are you. . ." his words trailed off as he put two and two together. He shook his head. "Never mind. I just wanted to come by and apologize for yesterday."

Chelsea appeared by Vaughn's side and Denny blushed as Vaughn protectively pulled Chelsea to him. The cowboy glared down at him and Denny understood that his little crush on Chelsea was over. He fumbled over his words as he tried to explain. "You see I thought that you felt differently about me Chelsea. I just got jealous seeing the two of you together. That conversation I mentioned happened when Vaughn first met you and was confused by the attention you were giving him. I was way out of line." He avoided  
Vaughn's eyes as he looked to Chelsea for a response.

She smiled, "It's ok Denny, no harm done. I hope that the three of us can still be friends in the future." She looked up at Vaughn and he sighed.

"I guess." He held out his hand.

Denny nodded as he shook it. "Agreed."

Chelsea smiled. "Alright good, now if you could excuse us, we just sat down for breakfast.

Denny nodded and left the farm. He kicked at a stone and mumbled, "You'd better take good care of her."


	4. Chapter 4

Vaughn and Chelsea were practicably inseparable when they weren't working and the townsfolk started to whisper about when he would propose. Chelsea had ordered several farm expansions and the fireworks festival was quickly approaching. Rumor had it that Vaughn already had a blue feather bought and planed to give it to her at the festival.

Vaughn had started to get used to all of the attention everyone was giving them. He found himself reaching out to Chelsea to hold her hand or kiss her without thinking twice. He would get embarrassed when someone commented on how cute and sweet the couple was but Chelsea would just smile and thank whoever complimented them.

Things between the couple and Denny got better and the three of them would occasionally hang out together in the evenings. Chelsea was glad to see Vaughn open up some to another human being; he was still fairly cold to most people on the island. Denny never, even jokingly, flirted with Chelsea again. He had come to terms with his feelings; he could see how much Chelsea and Vaughn loved each other. He had even offered to help take care of Chelsea's farm on the days she went to Vaughn's ranch. He had also started to spend more time with Lanna. She had an interest in fishing just like he did and they spent a lot of time at the beach together. He was even thinking of inviting her to the firework festival.

~~  
Vaughn pulled Chelsea closer to him on the dock. They were dangling their feet over the water and enjoying the sunset. No one else was around and the couple enjoyed a rare moment of peace and quiet. They had both been so busy working on getting the materials for the expansions on top of their regular routines. They tried to spend alone time together, but it was usually speckled with interruptions. Chelsea breathed in the cool salty air and sighed. Vaughn kissed her head and said, "You know we will have the money for that big bed from Chen's soon." Chelsea giggled and pushed him away. Vaughn growled and grabbed for her, but she managed to get away. She ran off the dock and into the sand with him on her heels. He dove for her and managed to snag her by the leg. She fell to the ground and he jumped on top of her.

"Ooofh Vaughn get off of me your heavy." She grunted. He shook his head and rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. Chelsea could hear and feel his heart pounding. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes, his hat had fallen off and his hair shone in the moonlight. She noticed that he was intensely staring at her and blushed. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No. You're just so beautiful tonight." He pulled her in for a passionate kiss. When it ended both of their faces were flushed, but happy.

Vaughn rolled Chelsea off of him and started to get up. He paused and started to search for something inside of his vest pocket. Chelsea sat up and watched him curiously. He began to mumble, "I was gonna wait to give you this until later, but I um feel like tonight might be, you know the know. . .ah the perfect time?"

She smiled as he searched and thought, "I wonder what he's looking for. . ." She then noticed that he was on one knee. Her eyes grew wide and she covered her open mouth. Vaughn pulled a red handkerchief out and unwrapped it to reveal a blue feather.

Chelsea's eyes began to tear up as he nervously held it out for her.

"Will you marry me?" Vaughn glanced up and saw the tears in her eyes. Confused, he looked away and started to lower his hand when she threw arms around his neck.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she clung to him. Vaughn hugged her back before gently pushing her away and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"So these are happy?"

She nodded violently and they both laughed. Her eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "Can we have it this fall!? I've always wanted a fall wedding, and it's so close!" She bounced up and down on her knees waiting for his answer.

"Yeah ok, how about in the first week of fall?"

"Can we get everything ready in time?"

Vaughn shrugged. "I'm sure we can. Mirabelle and Julia can help us, plus you know the whole town will want to pitch in." He smiled as she continued to bounce and began babbling about everything that needed done. He was so relieved that she had said yes, he had the feather that his father had given his mother tucked away for a long time. For a while he didn't think he would ever find a girl to give it to. Chelsea changed his life when he met her. Despite his best attempts to deter her, she had never given up on him. He was so glad.

Chelsea was promptly interrupted by Vaughn's lips. He leaned back just enough so that their foreheads were still touching. She sighed contently and asked, "Did you tell Mirabelle and Julia yet?"

He shook his head, "No but we can go over tonight if you want to."

Chelsea nodded. "I have to tell someone!"

Vaughn laughed and got to his feet. He held out his hand and helped Chelsea up. He retrieved his hat from the sand and they walked hand in hand towards Mirabelle's. Chelsea began to talk about the wedding again as she held tightly to Vaughn with one hand, and the blue feather with the other.


End file.
